Methods for forming a preformed flower pot cover having a finish simulating the appearance of cloth

ABSTRACT

A decorative flower pot cover having a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth disposed on or visible through at least a portion thereof is disclosed. The decorative flower pot cover includes a base, and the decorative flower pot cover is formed from a polymeric material at least a portion of one surface of the polymeric material is modified to provide such surface with a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth, whereby at least a portion of at least one surface of the decorative flower pot cover is provided with a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth. The decorative flower pot cover may further include a decorative border extending outwardly from the base.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/715,235, filedNov. 17, 2003, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.10/391,400, filed Mar. 18, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,702,919, issuedMar. 9, 2004; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/796,661, filedFeb. 28, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,565,963, issued May 20, 2003; whichis a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/228,847, filed Jan. 12, 1999, nowabandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/098,898, filedJun. 17, 1998, now abandoned; which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C.119(e) of Provisional application U.S. Ser. No. 60/050,867, filed Jun.26, 1997; the contents of each of which are hereby expresslyincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to polymeric materials having acloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof, and more particularly butnot by way of limitation, to flower pot covers, floral wrappings, andribbon materials made from such polymeric materials. In one aspect, thepresent invention relates to methods for producing flower pot covers andmethods of wrapping floral groupings and flower pots with a sheet ofpolymeric material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereofto provide a decorative cover for such floral groupings and flower pots.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sheet of polymeric material having acloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof constructed in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet of polymeric material having acloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof of FIG. 1 having a bondingmaterial disposed along one edge thereof.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sheet of, polymeric material havinga cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof of FIG. 2 having a floralgrouping disposed thereon.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the floral grouping of FIG. 3 beingwrapped with the sheet of polymeric material having a cloth-appearingfinish on a surface thereof of FIG. 2 by one method of wrapping.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a decorative cover for the floralgrouping formed from the sheet of polymeric material of FIG. 2 whereinthe decorative cover formed from the sheet of material has a conicalconfiguration.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a decorative cover formed from the sheetof polymeric material of FIG. 2 wherein a floral grouping is wrappedwith the sheet of polymeric material having a cloth-appearing finish ona surface thereof by a second method of wrapping so the decorative coverformed from the sheet of polymeric material having a cloth-appearingfinish on a surface thereof has a substantially cylindricalconfiguration.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a decorative cover positioned about aflower pot wherein the decorative cover is formed from the sheet ofpolymeric material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereofof FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a flower pot cover former and bandapplicator apparatus having the sheet of polymeric material having acloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof of FIG. 1 disposed above anopening of the flower pot cover former and band applicator and having aflower pot disposed above the sheet of polymeric material having acloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof.

FIG. 9A is a perspective view of a sheet of expanded core polymeric filmhaving a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof wherein an acrylicheat sealable lacquer is disposed on at least one surface thereof.

FIG. 9B is a perspective view of a laminated sheet of material having acloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof wherein the laminated sheetof material comprises a sheet of expanded core polymeric film having asheet of water impervious polymeric film laminated thereto.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a preformed pot cover formed from asheet of the expanded core polymeric film of FIG. 9A, or a laminatedsheet of material of FIG. 9B, or a sheet of the polymeric materialhaving a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof similar to thesheet of polymeric material of FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the preformed pot cover of FIG. 10having a flower pot disposed therein.

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional view of a male and femalemold having a sheet of the expanded core polymeric film of FIG. 9Adisposed therebetween for forming the preformed pot cover of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a floral sleeve formed from the sheetof polymeric material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surfacethereof.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the floral sleeve of FIG. 13 disposedabout a floral grouping.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a floral sleeve having a cinchingmember wherein the floral sleeve is formed from a sheet of polymericmaterial having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the floral sleeve of FIG. 15 disposedabout a floral grouping.

FIG. 17 is a side view of a sleeve having a detachable portion whereinthe sleeve is formed from a sheet of polymeric material having acloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the sleeve of FIG. 17 having a flowerpot disposed therein.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a flower pot disposed in the sleeve ofFIG. 17 wherein an upper portion of the sleeve has been removed toprovide a decorative cover having a skirt.

FIG. 20A is a perspective view of a polymeric ribbon material having acloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof.

FIG. 20B is a perspective view of a polymeric ribbon material formed ofan expanded core polymeric film having an acrylic lacquer on at leastone surface thereof.

FIG. 20C is a perspective view of a laminated polymeric ribbon whereinone layer of the laminate is an expanded core polymeric film.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Description of FIGS. 1-9

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, designated generally by the referencenumeral 10 is a sheet of polymeric material having a cloth-like finishor appearance. That is, at least one surface of the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 has been modified to provide a matte or textured finishsimulating the appearance of cloth. The terms “cloth-like finish” and“matte or finish simulating the appearance of cloth” may be usedinterchangeably. The modification of the sheet of polymeric material 10to provide the sheet of polymeric material with a matte or texturedfinish can be accomplished in several ways. For example, a matte finishcan be provided by printing a desired pattern on the sheet of polymericmaterial and thereafter laminating a matte material, such as atranslucent polymeric film, over the printed pattern. To further enhancethe cloth-like appearance of the sheet of polymeric material 10, thematte material may or may not have a plurality of spatially disposedholes extending therethrough. A matte or textured finish can also beproduced by printing a sheet of polymeric material with a matted (i.e.,dull finish) ink, by lacquering at least one surface of the sheet ofpolymeric material with a dull finish lacquer or a matting lacquer, byembossing the sheet of polymeric material to provide an embossed patternsimulating the weave or texture of cloth, or by embossing and printingthe sheet of polymeric material to provide embossed and printed patternswherein the embossed and printed patterns may be in registry, out ofregistry, or wherein a portion of the embossed and printed patterns arein registry and a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are outof registry. In addition, a matte or textured finish capable ofproviding the sheet of polymeric material with a cloth-like appearancecan be achieved by extruding a polymeric resin onto a matted or texturedchill roll or by laminating a second sheet of material to the sheet ofpolymeric material. [0030] The sheet of polymeric material 10 having acloth-like appearance has an upper surface 14, a lower surface 16, andan outer peripheral edge 18. The lower surface 16 is matted or texturedas described above to provide the sheet of polymeric material 10 with acloth-like appearance. The outer peripheral edge 18 of the sheet ofpolymeric material 10 comprises a first side 20, a second side 22, athird side 24, and a fourth side 26. A bonding material 27 (FIG. 2) maybe disposed on at least a portion of one or both surfaces of the sheetof material 10, such as the upper surface 14 thereof as shown and asfurther illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,364, entitled “WRAPPING AFLORAL GROUPING WITH SHEETS HAVING ADHESIVE OR COHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIEDTHERETO”, issued to Weder on Jan. 26, 1999, the specification of whichis hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.

The sheet of polymeric material 10 having a cloth-like appearance may beemployed to provide a decorative cover for a floral grouping (FIGS. 3through 6) or a decorative cover for a flower pot (FIG. 7); or it may beemployed to form a preformed flower pot cover for covering a flower pot(FIGS. 10 and 11); or it may be employed to provide a sleeve forwrapping or covering a floral grouping (FIGS. 13 through 16) or a flowerpot (FIGS. 17 through 19); or it may be employed to provide a ribbonmaterial having a cloth-like appearance (FIGS. 20A through 20 c). Theuse of the sheet of polymeric material 10 having a cloth-like appearanceto form a decorative cover for a floral grouping or a flower pot, or toform a sleeve for a floral grouping or a flower pot, or to form apreformed flower pot cover, or as a ribbon material will be described inmore complete detail herein.

As noted above, the sheet of polymeric material 10 having a cloth-likeappearance can be utilized to form a decorative cover for a floralgrouping or a flower pot. The term “flower pot” as used herein refers toany type of container for holding a floral grouping, or a plant, or evenanother pot type container. Examples of flower pots and/or pot typecontainers include, but are not limited to, clay pots, wooden pots,plastic pots, pots made from natural and/or synthetic fibers, or anycombination thereof. Such flower pots and/or pot-type containers areprovided with a retaining space for receiving a floral grouping. Thefloral grouping may be disposed within the retaining space of the flowerpot with a suitable growing medium described in further detail below, orother retaining medium, such as a floral foam. It will also beunderstood that in some cases the floral grouping, and any appropriategrowing medium or other retaining medium, may be disposed in a sleeveformed from the sheet of material 10 if the sleeve is adapted to containa medium.

“Floral grouping” as used herein will be understood to include cut freshflowers, artificial flowers, a single flower, or other fresh and/orartificial plants, or other floral materials and may include othersecondary plants and/or ornamentation, or artificial or naturalmaterials which add to the aesthetics of the overall floral grouping.Further, the floral grouping may comprise a growing potted plant havinga root portion as well. However, it will be appreciated that the floralgrouping may consist of only a single bloom, or only foliage, or abotanical item (not shown), or a propagule. The term “floral grouping”may be used interchangeably herein with the term “floral arrangement”.The term “floral grouping” may also be used interchangeably herein withthe terms “botanical item” and/or “propagule.”

The term “growing medium” when used herein will be understood to includeany liquid, solid or gaseous material used for plant growth, or for thecultivation of propagules, including organic and inorganic materialssuch as soil, humus, perlite, vermiculite, sand, water, and includingthe nutrients, fertilizers, or hormones, or combinations thereofrequired by the plants, or propagules for growth.

The term “botanical item” when used herein will be understood to includea natural or artificial herbaceous or woody plant, taken singly or incombination. The term “botanical item” also includes any portion orportions of natural or artificial herbaceous or woody plants includingstems, leaves, flowers, blossoms, buds, blooms, cones, or roots, takensingly or in combination, or in groupings of such portions such asbouquets or floral groupings.

The term “propagule” when used herein will be understood to include anystructure capable of being propagated or acting as an agent ofreproduction including seeds, shoots, stems, runners, tubers, plants,leaves, roots, or spores.

In the embodiments shown in the drawings, the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 having a cloth-like appearance is square. It will beappreciated, however, that the sheet of polymeric material 10 having acloth-like appearance can be of any shape, configuration or size as longas the sheet of polymeric material 10 is sufficiently sized and shapedto wrap and encompass a floral grouping or a flower pot. For example,the sheet of polymeric material 10 may have a rectangular, round, oval,octagonal, or asymmetrical shape. Further, multiple sheets of thepolymeric material 10 may be used in a single circumstance to provide adecorative cover, or sleeve for a floral grouping, or a flower pot.Moreover, when multiple sheets of the polymeric material 10 having acloth-like appearance are used in combination, the sheets of polymericmaterial 10 need not be uniform in size or shape. Finally, it will beappreciated that the sheet of polymeric material 10 having a cloth-likeappearance shown herein is a substantially flat sheet except for thetexturing, matting, embossing, flocking, application of a foamablelacquer, or foamable ink, or other treatments and techniques employed toprovide the sheet of polymeric material 10 with the desired texture, ormatting so that the sheet of polymeric material 10 has the appearance ofcloth.

Any thickness or stiffness of the sheet of polymeric material 10 may beutilized in accordance with the present invention as long as the sheetof polymeric material 10 can be modified to provide the sheet ofpolymeric material 10 with a cloth-like appearance and the sheet ofpolymeric material 10 having a cloth-like appearance can be wrappedabout at least a portion of a floral grouping or a flower pot, asdescribed herein. Generally, the sheet of polymeric material 10 willhave a thickness in a range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil, andmore desirably a thickness in a range of from about 0.5 mil to about 2.5mil.

The terms “polymer film”, “polymeric film” and “polymeric material” whenused herein will be understood to refer to a synthetic polymer such as apolypropylene, a naturally occurring polymer such as cellophane, anextruded polymeric material having an expanded core such as extrudedpolypropylene having an expanded core and combinations thereof,including but not limited to, laminated materials. The extrudedpolymeric material having an expanded core (which is sometimes referredto herein as an expanded core polymeric material) will generally have athickness in the range of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil, moredesirably in the range of from about 0.6 mil to about 1.25 mil.“Extruded polymeric material having an expanded core” as used hereinrefers to any extrudable polymeric material in which the core isexpanded during extrusion, such as by incorporation of a blowing agentin the polymeric resin which is being extruded.

The sheet of material 10 may also be constructed, in whole or in part,from a cling material. “Cling material” when used herein includes anymaterial which is capable of connecting to the sheet of material and/oritself upon contacting engagement during the wrapping process and iswrappable about an item whereby portions of the cling materialcontactingly engage and connect to other portions of another material,or, alternatively, itself, for generally securing the material wrappedabout at least a portion of a flower pot. This connecting engagement ispreferably temporary in that the material may be easily removed, i.e.,the cling material “clings” to the flower pot.

The cling material is constructed, and treated if necessary, frompolyethylene such as Cling Wrap made by Glad®, First Brands Corporation,Danbury, Conn. The thickness of the cling material will, in part, dependupon the size of sleeve and the size of the flower pot in the sleeve,i.e., generally, a larger flower pot may require a thicker and thereforestronger cling material. The cling material will range in thickness fromabout 0.1 mil to about 10 mil, and preferably from about 0.5 mil toabout 2.5 mil and most preferably from about 0.6 mil to about 2 mil.However, any thickness of cling material may be utilized in accordancewith the present invention which permits the cling material to bemodified as hereinbefore described to provide the cling material with acloth-like appearance.

In one embodiment, a sleeve may be constructed from two sheets ofpolypropylene film wherein at least a lower or outer surface of one ofthe sheets of polypropylene film is modified as hereinbefore describedto provide at least one of the sheets of polypropylene film with acloth-like appearance. The sheets of polypropylene film employed toproduce the sleeve may be connected together or laminated or may beseparate layers. In an alternative embodiment, the sleeve may beconstructed from only one sheet of polypropylene film having acloth-like appearance.

The sheet of polymeric material 10 having a cloth-like appearance mayvary in color. Further, the sheet of polymeric material 10 may compriseother decorative patterns or designs in addition to the matting,texturing, flocking, application of flammable lacquers or foamable inks,or embossing employed to impart the cloth-like appearance to the sheetof polymeric material 10.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the sheet of polymeric material 10 has a width30 extending generally between the first side 20 and the second side 22,respectively, sufficiently sized whereby the sheet of polymeric material10 can be wrapped about and encompass a floral grouping or a flower pot.The sheet of polymeric material 10 has a length 32 extending generallybetween the third side 24 and the fourth side 26, respectively,sufficiently sized whereby the sheet of polymeric material 10 extendsover a substantial portion of the floral grouping when the sheet ofpolymeric material 10 has been wrapped about the floral grouping inaccordance with the present invention, as described in detail herein.The sheet of polymeric material 10 may also be wrapped about a flowerpot to substantially wrap and cover the flower pot in accordance withthe present invention.

A plurality of sheets of polymeric material 10 having a cloth-likeappearance may be connected together to form a roll as is shown in U.S.Pat. No. 5,459,976, issued to Weder et al. on Oct. 24, 1995, entitled“MATERIAL AND ADHESIVE STRIP DISPENSER”, the specification of which ishereby expressly incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.

FIGS. 3-5 illustrate the use of the sheet of polymeric material 10having a cloth-like appearance in wrapping a floral grouping 34 toprovide a decorative cover 36 (FIG. 5) for the floral grouping 34wherein the decorative cover 36 has an open upper end 38 and a lower end40. The sheet of polymeric material 10 may optionally have the strip ofbonding material 27 disposed upon the upper surface 14, the lowersurface 16 or both, such as the strip of bonding material 27 disposedalong at least a portion of the upper surface 14 of the sheet ofpolymeric material 10 so as to be disposed substantially adjacent thefourth side 26 thereof substantially as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Further,the sheet of polymeric material 10 having a cloth-like appearance can beprovided either as an individual sheet or from a pad or roll ofmaterial.

The bonding material 27, if present, may have a backing or release strip(not shown). The backing or release strip may be left applied for aperiod of time to the bonding material 27 after it is disposed on asurface of the sheet of polymeric material 10 prior to its use as awrapping material, to protect the bonding qualities of the bondingstrip. In operation, an operator may dispose the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 having a cloth-like appearance on a support surface (notshown) such that the lower surface 16 of the sheet of polymeric material10 (which has been modified to provide the sheet of polymeric material10 with a cloth-like appearance) is in contact with the support surface.

Referring more specifically to FIGS. 3-5, the floral grouping 34 isplaced upon the upper surface 14 of the sheet of polymeric material 10in a diagonal orientation. The floral grouping 34 has an upper bloom orfoliage portion 42 and a lower stem portion 44. The sheet of polymericmaterial 10 is then wrapped about the floral grouping 34 by the operator(FIGS. 4 and 5), the operator overlapping a portion of the sheet ofpolymeric material 10 over another portion of the sheet of polymericmaterial 10. That is, for example, the operator places the first side 20of the sheet of polymeric material 10 over the floral grouping 34, asshown in FIG. 4. The operator continues to roll the floral grouping 34and the sheet of polymeric material 10 in the direction toward thesecond side 22 of the sheet of polymeric material 10 until the uppersurface 14 near the second side 22 firmly engages the lower surface 16of the sheet of polymeric material 10, wherein the floral grouping 34 issubstantially encompassed by the sheet of polymeric material 10, andwherein the bonding material 27 contacts the sheet of polymeric material10 to provide the decorative cover 36 having a cloth-like appearancewhich substantially encompasses and surrounds a substantial portion ofthe floral grouping 34. FIG. 5 shows the floral grouping 34 wrapped in aconical fashion to provide the decorative cover 36 for the floralgrouping 34 which has the appearance of being made of a cloth material.When the floral grouping 34 is wrapped in a conical fashion, the bloomportion 42 of the floral grouping 34 is exposed near the open upper end38 of the decorative cover 36, and the stem portion 44 of the floralgrouping 34 is exposed near the lower end 40 of the decorative cover 36.

In another embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 6, the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 having a cloth-like appearance is utilized to wrap thefloral grouping 34 in a cylindrical fashion. The floral grouping 34 isdisposed upon the sheet of polymeric material 10 approximately parallelto the third side 24 of the sheet of polymeric material 10. The sheet ofpolymeric material 10 is wrapped generally about the stem portion 44 ofthe floral grouping 34 to a position wherein the third side 24 of thesheet of polymeric material 10 generally overlaps the fourth side 26 ofthe sheet of polymeric material 10 in a cylindrical fashion. It shouldbe noted that the sheet of polymeric material 10 may be wrapped aplurality of times about the stem portion 44 of the floral grouping 34before the overlapping of the third side 24 and the fourth side 26 ofthe sheet of polymeric material 10. As before, the portion of the sheetof polymeric material 10 near the third side 24 is disposed generallyadjacent another portion of the sheet of polymeric material 10 and thetwo adjacent portions then are brought into contact where they may bebondingly engaged, thereby securing the sheet of polymeric material 10generally about the floral grouping 34 so as to provide a decorativecover 36a for the floral grouping 34 which has the appearance of beingfabricated of cloth.

In another version of the invention, the sheet of polymeric material 10having a cloth-like appearance may be used to wrap a flower pot orpot-type container, as noted above. Shown in FIG. 7 is a flower potdesignated by the reference numeral 50 having an open upper end 52, abottom end 54, an outer peripheral surface 56, an inner retaining space58 within which may be disposed a growing medium. The flower pot 50 maycontain a botanical item, such as a plant 60, which has an upper portion62 comprising blooms or foliage or both.

The sheet of polymeric material 10 having a cloth-like appearance may bewrapped about the flower pot 50 by any one of numerous methods used towrap sheets of material about flower pots to form decorative pot coversfor flower pots, such as a decorative cover 61 having a cloth-likeappearance disposed about the flower pot 50 illustrated in FIG. 7. Thesheet of polymeric material 10 may,-for example, be formed by hand aboutthe outer peripheral surface 56 of the flower pot 50 to produce thedecorative cover 61 which has the appearance of being fabricated ofcloth. The decorative cover 61 can then be secured about the flower pot50 by a bonding material or by an elastic band 64 such that the openupper end 52 of the flower pot 50 remains substantially uncovered by thedecorative cover 61 substantially as shown in FIG. 7.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a flower pot cover former and band applicatorapparatus 66 for forming the sheet of polymeric material 10 having acloth-like appearance into the decorative cover 61 for the flower pot 50of FIG. 7 is illustrated. The flower pot cover former and bandapplicator apparatus 66 comprises a band applicator 68 and a flower potcover former 70. The flower pot cover former and band applicatorapparatus 66 has a support platform 72 with an opening 74 formedtherein. A band, such as elastic band 64, is disposed circumferentiallyabout the opening 74 in the support platform 72.

The lower surface 16 of the sheet of polymeric material 10 (which hasbeen modified to provide the sheet of polymeric material 10 with atextured or matted surface simulating cloth) is positioned on an uppersurface 76 on the support platform 72 such that the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 is positioned over the opening 74 in the support platform72. The flower pot 50 is positioned above the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 and is moved in a direction 78 into the opening 74 of theflower pot cover former and band applicator apparatus 66. As the flowerpot 50 is moved into the opening 74, the sheet of polymeric material 10is pressed about the outer peripheral surface 56 of the flower pot 50thereby forming the decorative cover 61 about the flower pot 50. Thedecorative cover 61 (which has a cloth-like appearance) is then securedabout the flower pot 50 by the elastic band 64. The flower pot 50,havingthe decorative cover 61 secured thereto is then moved in a direction 80out of the opening 74 in the support platform 72.

The elastic band 64 can be applied manually or automatically such as bythe method shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,599, entitled “MEANS FORSECURING A DECORATIVE COVER ABOUT A FLOWER POT”, issued to Weder on Apr.21, 1993, which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.The band 64 can also be applied as a tie using a method such asdescribed in “Single Station Covering and Fastening System”, U.S. Pat.No. 5,609,009, issued to Weder et al. on Mar. 11, 1997, thespecification of which is hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference. The sheet of polymeric material 10 having a cloth-likeappearance can also be applied automatically about the flower pot 50,for example, by methods shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,521 entitled “COVERFORMING APPARATUS” issued to Weder et al. on Mar. 29, 1988, and U.S.Pat. No. 5,291,721, entitled “COVER FORMING APPARATUS HAVING A VOTINGFORMING MEMBERS”, issued to Weder et al. on Mar. 8, 1994, both of whichare hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.

Instead of securing the decorative cover 61 about the flower pot 50 viathe band 64, the decorative cover 61 formed from the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 having a cloth-like appearance may be secured to the flowerpot 50 by the use of one or more bonding materials. For example, theupper surface 14 of the sheet of polymeric material 10 may have abonding material such as the bonding material 27 disposed upon a portionthereof. When the sheet of polymeric material 10 is disposed about theflower pot 50, at least a portion of the upper surface 14 of the sheetof polymeric material 10 contacts the outer peripheral surface 56 of theflower pot 50 and is thereby bonded and held about the flower pot 50 viathe bonding material.

The bonding material may cover a portion of the upper surface 14 of thesheet of polymeric material 10, or the bonding material may entirelycover the upper surface 14 of the sheet of polymeric material 10. Thebonding material may be disposed on the upper surface 14 of the sheet ofpolymeric material 10 in the form of a strip or in the form ofspaced-apart spots. One method for disposing a bonding material on thesheet of polymeric material 10 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,637,entitled “Method For Wrapping A Floral Grouping”, issued to Weder, etal. on May 12, 1992, which is expressly incorporated herein byreference.

The term “bonding material” when used herein refers to an adhesive,frequently a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive or anyadhesive/cohesive combination having adhesive qualities (i.e., qualitiesof adhesion or adhesion/cohesion, respectively) sufficient to cause theattachment of a portion of the sheet of polymeric material 10 to itself,to a floral grouping 34, or to a flower pot 50. Since the bondingmaterial may comprise either an adhesive or an adhesive/cohesivecombination, it will be appreciated that both adhesives and cohesivesare known in the art, and both are commercially available. When thebonding material is a cohesive, a similar cohesive material must beplaced on the adjacent surface for bondingly contacting and bondinglyengaging with the cohesive material. The term “bonding material” alsoincludes materials which are heat sealable and, in this instance, theadjacent portions of the material must be brought into contact and thenheat must be applied to effect the seal. The term “bonding material”also includes materials which are sonically sealable and vibratorysealable. The term “bonding material” when used herein also includes aheat sealing lacquer or hot melt material which may be applied to thematerial and, in this instance, heat, sound waves, or vibrations, alsomust be applied to effect the sealing.

The term “bonding material” when used herein also includes any type ofmaterial or thing which can be used to effect the bonding or connectingof the two adjacent portions of the sheet of polymeric material 10 toeffect the connection or bonding described herein. The term “bondingmaterial” may also include ties, labels, bands, ribbons, strings, tapes(including single or double-sided adhesive tapes), staples orcombinations thereof. Some of the bonding materials would secure theends of the material while other bonding materials may bind thecircumference of a cover, or a sleeve, or, alternatively and/or inaddition, the bonding materials would secure overlapping folds in thematerial and/or sleeve. Another way to secure the cover and/or sleeve isto heat seal the ends of the material to another portion of thematerial. One way to do this is to contact the ends with an iron ofsufficient heat to heat seal the material.

Alternatively, a cold seal adhesive may be utilized as the bondingmaterial. The cold seal adhesive adheres only to a similar substrate,acting similarly as a cohesive, and binds only to itself. The cold sealadhesive, since it bonds only to a similar substrate, does not cause aresidue to build up on equipment, thereby both permitting much morerapid disposition and use of such equipment to form articles andreducing labor costs. Further, since no heat is required to effect theseal, the dwell time, that is, the time for the sheet of material toform and retain the shape of an article, such as a flower pot cover orflower pot, is reduced. A cold seal adhesive binds quickly and easilywith minimal pressure, and such a seal is not readily releasable. Thischaracteristic is different from, for example, a pressure sensitiveadhesive.

The term “bonding material” when used herein also includes any heat orchemically shrinkable material, and static electrical or otherelectrical materials, chemical welding materials, magnetic materials,mechanical or barb-type fastening materials or clamps, curl-typecharacteristics of the film or materials incorporated in material whichcan cause the material to take on certain shapes, cling films, slots,grooves, shrinkable materials and bands, curl materials, springs, andany type of welding method which may weld portions of the material toitself or to the pot, or to both the material itself and the pot.

Description of FIGS. 9-12

Referring now to FIGS. 9 through 11, a decorative preformed flower potcover 110 illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11 is constructed from a sheet offlexible material 112 having a cloth-like appearance (FIG. 9A) or alaminated sheet of flexible material 112 a (FIG. 9B). It should beunderstood that a sheet of material similar to the sheet of polymericmaterial 10 having a cloth-like appearance hereinbefore described canalso be employed to form the decorative preformed pot cover 110. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 9A, the sheet of flexible material 112 used inthe construction of the decorative preformed flower pot cover 110comprises a sheet of expanded core polymeric film 114 having an uppersurface 116, a lower surface 118 and a thickness in the range of fromabout 0.6 mil to about 10 mil, more desirably in the range of from about0.6 mil to about 1.25 mil, and a coating of an acrylic heat sealablelacquer 120 disposed on at least one of the upper and lower surfaces 116and 118, respectively, of the sheet of expanded core polymeric film 114.While the decorative preformed flower pot cover 110 is shown as beingformed of the sheet of flexible material 112 having a matte or texturedfinish simulating the appearance of cloth, it should be understood thatthe decorative preformed flower pot cover 110 can also be formed from asheet of flexible material 112 comprising a sheet of expanded corepolymeric film 114 having a coating of acrylic heat sealable lacquer 120disposed on at least one surface thereof wherein the surface of thesheet of expanded core polymeric film 114 is not modified to provide acloth-like appearance.

As previously stated, the modification of the sheet of expanded corepolymeric film 114 to provide the sheet of flexible material 112 withthe desired matte or textured finish can be accomplished by printing adesired pattern on the sheet of expanded core polymeric film 114 andthereafter laminating a matte material, such as a translucent polymericfilm, over the printed pattern. To further enhance the cloth-likeappearance, the matte material may or may not have a plurality ofspatially disposed holes extending therethrough. A matte or texturedfinish can also be produced by printing a sheet of expanded corepolymeric film 114 with a matted (i.e., dull finish) ink, by lacqueringat least one surface of the sheet of expanded core polymeric film 114with a dull finish lacquer or a matting lacquer, by embossing the sheetof expanded core polymeric film 114 to provide an embossed patternsimulating the weave or texture of cloth, or by embossing and printingthe sheet of expanded core polymeric film 114 to provide embossed andprinted patterns wherein the embossed and printed patterns may be inregistry, out of registry, or wherein a portion of the embossed andprinted patterns are in registry and a portion of the embossed andprinted patterns are out of registry. In addition, a matte or texturedfinish capable of providing the sheet of flexible polymeric film 114with a cloth-like appearance can be achieved by extruding a polymericresin onto a matted or textured chill roll to produce the sheet ofexpanded core polymeric film 114 or by laminating a second sheet ofmaterial to the sheet of expanded core polymeric film 114. When thesheet of flexible material 112 is formed into the decorative preformedflower pot cover 110, a plurality of overlapping folds 122 are formedand at least a portion of the overlapping folds 122 are connected toadjacently disposed portions of the decorative preformed flower potcover 110 via the acrylic heat sealable lacquer 120.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the decorative preformed pot cover 110 hasa base 124 having an open upper end 125, a lower end 126, and an outerperipheral surface 128. An opening 130 intersects the open upper end 125of the base 124 of the decorative preformed flower pot cover, forming aninner peripheral surface 132 which defines and encompasses a retainingspace 133 within which a flower pot 134 containing a floral grouping 136may be disposed in a manner well known in the art (FIG. 11). Thedecorative preformed flower pot cover 110 is further provided with adecorative border 138 which extends outwardly from the open upper end125 of the base 124. Desirably, at least a portion of one surface of oneof the base 124 and the decorative border 138 of the decorative border138 of the decorative, preformed flower pot cover 110 is provided with amatte or textured finish simulating the appearance of cloth.

As stated above, the decorative preformed flower pot cover 110 isprovided with a plurality of overlapping folds 122 which are formed inthe base 124 thereof, and at least a portion of the overlapping folds122 are connected so that the decorative preformed flower pot cover 110may be substantially flattened and then unflattened to assume theoriginal shape of the decorative preformed flower pot cover 110. Asubstantial portion of the overlapping folds 122 extend over differentdistances and at various and arbitrary angles. The decorative border 138of the decorative preformed flower pot cover 110 is substantially freeof permanently connected overlapping folds.

In another embodiment, a laminated sheet of flexible material 112 a(FIG. 9B) is used in the construction of the decorative preformed flowerpot cover 110. The laminated sheet of flexible material 112 a is alaminated material which comprises a sheet of expanded core polymericfilm 114 a having an upper surface 116 a, and a lower surface 118 a, anda substantially water impervious polymeric film 120 a. At least onesurface of the sheet of expanded core polymeric film 114 a orsubstantially water impervious polymeric film 120 a is modified toprovide the laminated sheet of flexible material 112 a with the desiredcloth-like appearance. It should be understood that the decorativepreformed flower pot cover 110 can also be formed from a laminated sheetof flexible material 112 a comprising a sheet of expanded core polymericfilm 114 a and a substantially water impervious polymeric film 120 awherein neither the sheet of expanded core polymeric film 114 a nor thesubstantially water impervious polymeric film 120 a is modified toprovide the laminated sheet of flexible material 112 a with the desiredcloth-like appearance.

The sheet of expanded core polymeric film 114 a desirably has athickness in a range of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil, and moredesirably from about 0.6 mil to about 1.25 mil, and the substantiallywater impervious polymeric film 120 a desirably has a thickness in arange of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil. The substantially waterimpervious polymeric film 120 a is desirably laminated to the sheet ofexpanded core polymeric material 114 a with a colored adhesive so as toimpart a desired color to the laminated sheet of flexible material 112a. While the thickness of the laminated sheet of flexible material 112 acan vary widely, and will generally depend on the thickness of the sheetof expanded core polymeric film 114 a and the thickness of thesubstantially water impervious polymeric film 120 a, desirable resultscan be obtained where the laminated sheet of flexible material 112 a hasa thickness in the range of from about 1.5 mil to about 2.5 mil.

As previously stated, the decorative preformed flower pot cover 110 maybe constructed of the sheet of flexible material 112 (FIG. 9A), or fromthe laminated sheet of flexible material 112 a (FIG. 9B), or from thesheet of polymeric material 10 (FIG. 1); and the decorative preformedflower pot cover 110 so formed will have a plurality of overlappingfolds 122 formed therein, at least a portion thereof being connected. Ifdesired, the decorative preformed flower pot cover 110 can be formed ofa plurality of sheets of the same and/or different types of material.

The method and apparatus employed to form the preformed flower pot overis substantially identical whether one uses one or more sheets of theflexible material 112 (FIG. 9A), or one or more laminated sheets of theflexible material 112 a (FIG. 9B), or one or more sheets of polymericmaterial 10 (FIG. 1), or a combination of such sheets of material. Thus,only the formation of the preformed flower pot cover 110 using a sheetof the flexible material 112 of FIG. 9 will be described in detailhereinafter.

The decorative preformed flower pot cover 110 may be formed using aconventional mold system 140 comprising a male mold 142 and a femalemold 144 having a mold cavity 146 for matingly receiving the male mold142 (FIG. 12). The sheet of flexible material 112 is positioned betweenthe male and female molds 142 and 144, respectively. Movement of themale mold 142 in the direction 148 and into the mold cavity 146 forcesthe sheet of flexible material 112 to be disposed about the portion ofthe male mold 142 disposed in the mold cavity 146 of the female mold 144and thereby forms the sheet of material 112 into the preformeddecorative flower pot cover 110 (FIGS. 10 and 11). Further, inaccordance with the present invention, the decorative preformed flowerpot cover 110 constructed from the materials described hereinabove, mayhave a bonding material disposed upon a portion thereof.

Methods for forming such preformed decorative pot covers are well knownin the art. Two methods of forming such covers are described in U.S.Pat. No. 4,773,182, entitled “ARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM” issued to Weder etal. on Sep. 27, 1998, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,721, entitled “COVERFORMING APPARATUS HAVING A VOTING FORMING MEMBERS”, issued to Weder etal. on Mar. 8, 1994, each of which is expressly incorporated herein byreference.

Description of FIGS. 13-19

Shown in FIG. 13 is a decorative cover designated therein by the generalreference numeral 160 which comprises a flexible bag or sleeve 162 ofunitary construction having a cloth-like appearance in accordance withthe present invention. The sleeve 162 may be used as a decorative cover160 for a floral grouping or a flower pot. The sleeve 162 initiallycomprises a flexible flat collapsed piece of material which is openablein the form of a tube or sleeve. Such sleeves are well known in thefloral industry. Further, in accordance with the present invention, atleast a portion of one surface, preferably an outer peripheral surface164 of the sleeve 162, has been modified to provide the sleeve 162 witha cloth-like appearance, as previously described herein. The sleeve 162has an upper end 166, a lower end 168 and the outer peripheral surface164. The sleeve 162 may be tapered outwardly from the lower end 168toward a larger diameter at its upper end 166. In its flattened statethe sleeve 162 generally has an overall trapezoidal or modifiedtrapezoidal shape, and when opened is substantially frusto-conical toconiform. It will be appreciated, however, that the sleeve 162 maycomprise variations on the aforementioned shapes or may comprisesignificantly altered shapes such as square or rectangular, wherein thesleeve 162 when opened has a cylindrical form, as long as the sleeve 162functions in accordance with the present invention in the mannerdescribed herein. The sleeve 162 (or any other sleeve disclosed herein)may have an angular or contoured shape.

The sleeve 162 has an opening 170 at the upper end 166 and may be openat the lower end 168, or closed with a bottom at the lower end 168. Thesleeve 162 also has an inner peripheral surface 172 which, when thesleeve 162 is opened, defines and encompasses an inner retaining space174. When the lower end 168 of the sleeve 162 has a closed lower end168, a portion of the lower end 168 may be inwardly folded to form oneor more gussets (not shown) for allowing the lower portion of the innerretaining space 174 to be expandable, for example, for receiving thecircular bottom of a pot or growing medium.

The sleeve 162 is generally frusto-conically shaped, but the sleeve 162may, by way of example but not by way of limitation, be cylindrical,frusto-conical, a combination of both frusto-conical and cylindrical, orany other shape, as long as the sleeve 162 functions as described hereinas noted above. Further, the sleeve 162 may comprise any shape, whethergeometric, non-geometric, asymmetrical and/or fanciful as long as itfunctions in accordance with the present invention. The sleeve 162 mayalso be equipped with drain holes (if having a closed bottom) or sideventilation holes (not shown), or can be made from gas permeable orimpermeable materials.

The material from which the sleeve 162 is constructed is the same aspreviously described above for the sheet of polymeric material 10 havinga cloth-like appearance, or the sheet of flexible material 112 or 112 a.Any thickness of material may be utilized in accordance with the presentinvention as long as the sleeve 162 may be formed as described herein,is provided with a cloth-like appearance, and as long as the formedsleeve 162 may contain at least a portion of a flower pot or a floralgrouping, as described herein. Additionally, an insulating material suchas bubble film, preferable as one of two or more layers, can be utilizedin order to provide additional protection for the item, such as a floralgrouping, contained therein.

In FIG. 14 the sleeve 162 is illustrated having a cloth like appearanceprovided on the outer peripheral surface 164 of the sleeve 162. A floralgrouping 176 is disposed within the inner retaining space 174 of thesleeve 162. Generally, an upper or bloom portion 178 of the floralgrouping 176 is exposed near the opening 170 of the sleeve 162 and alower or stem portion 180 of the floral grouping 176 is exposed near thelower end 168 of the sleeve 162. Either end of the sleeve 162 may beclosed about the floral grouping 176. Generally, a portion of the sleeve162 is tightened about a portion of the stem portion 180 of the floralgrouping 176 for holding the decorative cover 160 about the floralgrouping 176. For example, the sleeve 162 may be held by a tie 182 tiedabout the sleeve 162 such as is shown in FIG. 14. Other methods forbinding the sleeve 162 may be employed such as the bonding methods andmaterials described elsewhere herein. For example, as shown in FIG. 15,a decorative cover 160 a is shown which comprises a sleeve 162 a havinga cloth-like appearance and a cinching tab 184 having a bonding material186 disposed upon a surface thereof. The cinching tab 184 can be used togather portions of the sleeve 162 a together about the stem portion 180of the floral grouping 176 as shown in FIG. 16 for holding the sleeve162 a tightly about the floral grouping 176.

Similarly, it may generally be desired to use the sleeve 162 as adecorative cover for a flower pot (not shown). The flower pot willgenerally contain a botanical item or plant. The flower pot can bedeposited into the open sleeve 162 in a manner well known in the art,such as manually wherein the sleeve 162 is opened by hand and the flowerpot deposited therein.

As noted above, a bonding material may be disposed on a portion of thesleeve 162 or any sleeve described herein to assist in holding thesleeve 162 to the flower pot when the flower pot is disposed within thesleeve 162 or to assist in closing the upper end 166 of the sleeve 162or adhering the sleeve 162 to the flower pot after the flower pot hasbeen disposed therein, as will be discussed in further detail below.

It will be understood that the bonding material, if present, may bedisposed as a strip or block on a surface of the sleeve 162. The bondingmaterial may also be disposed upon either the outer peripheral surface164 or the inner peripheral surface 172 of the sleeve 162, as well asupon the flower pot. Further, the bonding material may be disposed asspots of bonding material, or in any other geometric, non-geometric,asymmetric, or fanciful form, and in any pattern, including coveringeither the entire inner peripheral surface 172 and/or outer peripheralsurface 164 of the sleeve 162 and/or the flower pot. The bondingmaterial may be covered by a cover or release strip which can be removedprior to the use of the sleeve 162 or flower pot. The bonding materialcan be applied by methods known to those of ordinary skill in their art.One method for disposing a bonding material, in this case an adhesive,is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,637, entitled “METHOD FOR WRAPPING AFLORAL GROUPING”, issued to Weder et al. on May 12, 1993, which ishereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.

As noted above, a bonding material may be disposed on at least a portionof the inner peripheral surface 172 of the sleeve 162 (or any othersleeve described herein), or, alternatively, the bonding material may bedisposed on the outer peripheral surface of a flower pot containedwithin the sleeve 162, while the sleeve 162 may be free of the bondingmaterial. In a further alternative, the bonding material may be disposedboth on at least a portion of the flower pot as well as upon at least aportion of the inner peripheral surface 172 of the sleeve 162. Inaddition, a portion of the bonding material may also be disposed on theouter peripheral surface 164 of the sleeve 162 as well. It will beunderstood that the bonding material may be disposed in a solid sectionof bonding material. The bonding material, when present, is disposed onthe sleeve 162 and/or flower pot by any method known in the art.

Certain versions of sleeves described herein may be used in combinationwith a preformed pot cover. For example, a preformed pot cover may beapplied to the pot, then the covered pot wrapped or disposed within asleeve. Either the cover or the sleeve, or both, may have a cloth-likeappearance. Examples of sleeves which may be used in this invention areshown in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,979, entitled “SLEEVEHAVING A DETACHABLE PORTION FORMING A SKIRT AND METHODS”, issued toWeder on May 6, 1997, which is expressly incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. Equipment and devices for forming sleeves arecommercially available, and well known in the art.

Shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 is another embodiment of a decorative cover 160b comprising a sleeve having a cloth-like appearance constructed inaccordance with the present invention and designated by the generalreference numeral 162 b. The sleeve 162 b has a “detaching” element inpredetermined areas for detaching a portion of the sleeve 162 b. Thesleeve 162 b generally initially comprises a flexible flat collapsedpiece of material which is openable in the form of a tube or sleeve. Thesleeve 162 b is constructed of the same material and in the same way asdescribed previously herein and may be described exactly the same as theother sleeves described herein except for the additional elementsdescribed hereinafter.

The sleeve 162 b has an upper end 166 b, a lower end 168 b, and an outerperipheral surface 164 b. The sleeve 162 b has an opening 170 b at theupper end 166 b thereof, and the sleeve 162 b may be open at the lowerend 168 b or closed with a bottom at the lower end 168 b. In a flattenedstate, the sleeve 162 b has a first side 171 and a second side 173. Thesleeve 162 b also has an inner peripheral surface 172 b which, when thesleeve 162 b is opened, defines and encompasses an inner retaining space174 b as shown in FIG. 18. When the lower end 168 b of the sleeve 162 bhas a closed bottom, a portion of the lower end 168 b may be inwardlyfolded to form one or more gussets (not shown) for permitting a circularbottom of an object such as a potted plant 176 b to be disposed in theinner retaining space 174 b of the lower end 168 b of the sleeve 162 b.

As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the sleeve 162 b is demarcated into anupper portion 188 and a lower portion 190. The lower portion 190 of thesleeve 162 b is generally sized to contain the flower pot 176 b. Theupper portion 188 of the sleeve 162 b is sized to substantially surroundand encompass a plant 192 contained in the flower pot 176 b disposedwithin the lower portion 190 of the sleeve 162 b. The sleeve 162 b isdemarcated into the upper portion 188 and the lower portion 190 by adetaching element 194 for enabling the detachment of the upper portion188 of the sleeve 162 b from the lower portion 190 of the sleeve 162 b.In the present version, the detaching element 194 is a plurality ofgenerally laterally-oriented or alternatingly diagonally-orientedperforations which extend circumferentially across the outer peripheralsurface 164 b of the sleeve 162 b from the first side 171 to the secondside 173.

In a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the lowerportion 190 of the sleeve 162 b further comprises a base portion 196 anda skirt portion 198. The base portion 196 comprises that part of thelower portion 190 which, when the flower pot 176 b is placed into thelower portion 190, has an inner peripheral surface 172 b which issubstantially adjacent to and surrounds an outer peripheral surface 199of the flower pot 176 b. The skirt portion 198 comprises that part ofthe lower portion 190 which extends beyond an open upper end 201 of theflower pot 176 b and adjacent at least a portion of the plant 192contained within the flower pot 176 b and which is left to freely extendat an angle, inwardly or outwardly, from the base portion 196 when theupper portion 188 of the sleeve 162 b is detached from the lower portion190 of the sleeve 162 b by actuation of the detaching element 194.

In the intact sleeve 162 b, the skirt portion 198 comprises an upperperipheral edge congruent with the detaching element 194 which isconnected to a lower peripheral edge, also congruent with the detachingelement 194, of the upper portion 188 of the sleeve 162 b. In FIGS. 17and 18, the upper peripheral edge of the skirt portion 198 is congruentwith a series of alternatingly diagonally-oriented lines of perforationswhich together form a zig-zag and comprise the detaching element 194.The upper portion 188 of the sleeve 162 b may also have an additionaldetaching element 200 indicated as a plurality of vertical perforationsfor facilitating removal of the upper portion 188 and which are disposedmore or less vertically therein extending between the detaching element194 of the sleeve 162 b.

The upper portion 188 of the sleeve 162 b is thereby separable from thelower portion 190 of the sleeve 162 b by tearing the upper portion 188along both the detaching element 200 and the detaching element 194,thereby separating the upper portion 188 from the lower portion 190 ofthe sleeve 162 b. The lower portion 190 of the sleeve 162 b remainsdisposed as the base portion 196 about the flower pot 176 b and as theskirt portion 198 about the plant 192 forming a decorative cover 202 asshown in FIG. 19 which substantially surrounds and encompasses theflower pot 176 b and the plant 192 contained therein. An outerperipheral surface 164 b of the lower portion 190 of the sleeve 162 b,for example, the base and skirt portions 196 and 198, may be modified toprovide the lower portion 190 of the sleeve 162 b with a cloth-likeappearance, while the upper portion 188 is left unmodified or is printedwith a design. When the upper portion 188 is detached, the lower portion190 of the sleeve 162 b remains about the flower pot 176 b and therebyforms a decorative cover 202 about the flower pot 176 b which has theappearance of a cloth decorative cover.

“Detaching element” as used herein, includes any element, or combinationof elements, or features, such as, but not by way of limitation,perforations, tear strips, zippers, and any other devices or elements ofthis nature known in the art, or any combination thereof. Therefore,while perforations are shown and described in detail herein, it will beunderstood that tear strips, zippers, or any other “detaching elements”known in the art, or any combination thereof, could be substitutedtherefor and/or used therewith.

In a general method of use of sleeve 162 b as a decorative cover for aflower pot, an operator provides a sleeve 162 b, and the flower pot 176b having a plant 192 disposed in a growing medium contained within theflower pot 176 b. The operator then disposes the flower pot 176 b havingthe plant 192 contained therein into the sleeve 162 b by opening thesleeve 162 b at its upper end 166 b and assuring both that the opening170 b therein is in an open condition, and that the inner peripheralsurface 172 b of the sleeve 162 b is somewhat expanded outward as well,as shown in FIG. 18. The operator then manually or automaticallydisposes the flower pot 176 b into the opening 170b in the sleeve 162 b,the flower pot 176 b being disposed generally through the upper portion188 of the sleeve 162 b into generally the lower portion 190 of thesleeve 162 b, the flower pot 176 b remaining in the lower portion 190 ofthe sleeve 162 b, permitting the sleeve 162 b to substantially surroundand tightly encompass the flower pot 176 b. It will be understood thatalternatively, the sleeve 162 b may be provided with an extension (notshown), and the sleeve 162 b may be disposed on rods or wickets, and theflower pot 176 b may be disposed in the sleeve 162 b either before orafter the sleeve 162 b has been removed from the wickets.

Embodiments of FIGS. 20A-20C

Referring now to FIG. 20A, designated generally by the reference numeral210 is a polymeric ribbon material having a cloth-like appearance forforming decorative bows and for wrapping items. That is, at least onesurface of a web of polymeric material (not shown) is modified toprovide a matte or textured finish 212 simulating the appearance ofcloth. The modification of the web of polymeric material (not shown) toprovide the polymeric ribbon material 210 with a matte or texturedfinish 212 can be accomplished in several ways. For example, thepolymeric ribbon material 210 having the matte or textured finish 212can be produced by printing a web of polymeric material with a matted(i.e., dull finish) ink, by lacquering at least one surface of the sheetof polymeric material with a dull finish lacquer or a matting lacquer,by embossing the sheet of polymeric material to provide an embossedpattern simulating the weave or texture of cloth, or by flocking thesheet of polymeric material, or by application of a foamable lacquer orfoamable ink to the sheet of polymeric material, or by embossing andprinting the sheet of polymeric material to provide embossed and printedpatterns wherein the embossed and printed patterns may be in registry,out of registry, or wherein a portion of the embossed and printedpatterns are in registry and a portion of the embossed and printedpatterns are out of registry. In addition, a matte or textured finish212 capable of providing the sheet of polymeric material 210 with acloth-like appearance can be achieved by extruding a polymeric resinonto a matted or textured chill roll. Thereafter, the web of materialhaving a cloth-like appearance can be cut in a conventional manner toprovide the polymeric ribbon material 210 having a cloth-likeappearance.

Any polymeric material capable of being textured or otherwise modifiedto provide the polymeric material with a cloth-like appearance can beemployed in the formulation of the polymeric ribbon material 210. Forexample, the polymeric material employed to produce the polymeric ribbonmaterial 210 can be polypropylene film having a thickness in a range offrom about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil, and more desirably in a range offrom about 0.5 mil to about 2.5 mil, or an expanded core polymeric filmhaving a thickness in a range of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil.

Referring now to FIG. 20B, designated generally by the reference numeral220 is another embodiment of a polymeric ribbon material for formingdecorative bows and for wrapping items. The polymeric ribbon material220 comprises an expanded core polymeric film 222 having a thickness ina range of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil and a polymeric film 224having a thickness in a range of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil. Thepolymeric film 224 is desirably laminated to the expanded core polymericfilm 222 with a colored adhesive so as to impart a desired color to thepolymeric ribbon material 220. If desired, the polymeric ribbon material220 may be treated or otherwise processed to provide the polymericribbon material 220 with a matte or textured finish 226 simulating theweave or knit of cloth so that the polymeric ribbon material 220 has acloth-like appearance similar to the polymeric ribbon material 210hereinbefore described with reference to FIG. 20A. That is, a matte ortextured finish 226 simulating cloth can be printed on the expanded corepolymeric film 222, and thereafter the polymeric film 224 (which in thiscase is desirably a matte material of translucent polymeric film) islaminated to the polymeric film 224 to provide the polymeric ribbonmaterial 220 with a cloth-like appearance. To further enhance thecloth-like appearance of the polymeric ribbon material 220, thepolymeric film 224 may or may not have a plurality of spatially disposedholes extending therethrough. The matte or textured finish 226 can beproduced by printing the polymeric film 224 laminated to the expandedcore polymeric film 222 with a matted (i.e., dull finish) ink, bylacquering at least one surface of the polymeric film 224 with a dullfinish lacquer or a matting lacquer, by flocking the polymeric film 224,by application of a foamable lacquer or foamable ink to the polymericfilm 224, by embossing the polymeric film 224 to provide an embossedpattern simulating the weave or texture of cloth, or by embossing andprinting the polymeric film 224 to provide embossed and printed patternswherein the embossed and printed patterns may be in registry, out ofregistry, or wherein a portion of the embossed and printed patterns arein registry and a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are outof registry. In addition, a matte or textured finish 226 capable ofproviding the polymeric ribbon material 220 with a cloth-like appearancecan be achieved by extruding the resin used to produce the expanded corepolymeric film 222 andor the resin used to produce the polymeric film224 onto a matted or textured chill roll.

Referring now to FIG. 20C, designated generally by the reference numeral230 is another embodiment of a polymeric ribbon material for formingdecorative bows and for wrapping items. The polymeric ribbon material230 comprises a polymeric film 232 having an upper surface 234, a lowersurface 236 and a thickness in the range of from about 0.6 mil to about10 mil. An acrylic heat sealable lacquer 238 is applied to at least oneof the upper and lower surfaces 234 and 236 of the polymeric film 232,such as the lower surface 236 of the polymeric film 232, and the uppersurface 234 of the polymeric film 232 is desirably modified to providethe polymeric ribbon material 230 with a matte or textured finish 240simulating the appearance of cloth. The modification of the polymericfilm 232 to provide the polymeric ribbon material 230 with a cloth-likeappearance can be accomplished in several ways. For example, thepolymeric ribbon material 230 having the matte or textured finish 240can be produced by printing a web of polymeric material with a matted(i.e., dull finish) ink, by lacquering at least one of the upper surface234 or the lower surface 236 of the polymeric film 232 with a dullfinish lacquer or a matting lacquer, by flocking the polymeric film 232,by application of a foamable lacquer or foamable ink to the polymericfilm 232, by embossing the polymeric film 232 to provide an embossedpattern simulating the weave or texture of cloth, or by embossing andprinting the polymeric film 232 to provide embossed and printed patternswherein the embossed and printed patterns may be in registry, out ofregistry, or wherein a portion of the embossed and printed patterns arein registry and a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are outof registry. In addition, a matte or textured finish 240 capable ofproviding the polymeric film 232 with a cloth-like appearance can beachieved by extruding a polymeric resin onto a matted or textured chillroll. Thereafter, the polymeric film 232 having a cloth-like appearancecan be cut in a conventional manner to provide the polymeric ribbonmaterial 280.

Any polymeric film capable of being textured or otherwise modified toprovide the polymeric material with a cloth-like appearance can beemployed in the formulation of the polymeric ribbon material 230. Forexample, the polymeric film 232 employed to produce the polymeric ribbonmaterial 230 can be polypropylene film having a thickness in a range offrom about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil, and more desirably in a range offrom about 0.5 mil to about 2.5 mil, or an expanded core polymeric filmhaving a thickness in a range of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil.

Changes may be made in the construction and the operation of the variouscomponents, elements and assemblies described herein or in the steps orthe sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the followingclaims.

1. A decorative flower pot cover having a texture or appearancesimulating the texture or appearance of cloth disposed on or visiblethrough at least a portion thereof, the decorative flower pot covercomprising: a base having a lower end, an open upper end, an outerperipheral surface, an inner peripheral surface and a retaining space,wherein the decorative flower pot cover is formed from a polymericmaterial having an upper surface and a lower surface wherein at least aportion of one of the upper surface and the lower surface of thepolymeric material is modified to provide such surface with a texture orappearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth, whereby atleast a portion of at least one surface of the decorative flower potcover is provided with a texture or appearance simulating the texture orappearance of cloth.
 2. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 1wherein the polymeric material is an expanded core polymeric film havinga thickness in the range of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil.
 3. Thedecorative flower pot cover of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of oneof the upper and lower surfaces of the polymeric material is printed,embossed, lacquered, textured, or combinations thereof to provide thetexture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth. 4.The decorative flower pot cover of claim 3 wherein the texture orappearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided byprinting and embossing, and the printed and embossed patterns are inregistry with one another.
 5. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 3wherein the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearanceof cloth is provided by printing and embossing, and the printed andembossed patterns are out of registry with one another.
 6. Thedecorative flower pot cover of claim 3 wherein the texture or appearancesimulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided by printingwith a matted ink or lacquering with a matted lacquer.
 7. The decorativeflower pot cover of claim 3 wherein the texture or appearance simulatingthe texture or appearance of cloth is provided by printing with afoamable ink or lacquering with a foamable lacquer.
 8. The decorativeflower pot cover of claim 1 wherein the polymeric material is furtherdefined as a laminated polymeric material having an upper surface and alower surface, the laminated polymeric material comprising: a polymericfilm having an upper surface and a lower surface; and a sheet ofmaterial having an upper surface and a lower surface wherein the lowersurface of the sheet of material is laminated to the upper surface ofthe polymeric film; and wherein at least a portion of one of the uppersurface of the polymeric film and the lower surface of the sheet ofmaterial is modified to provide a texture or appearance simulating thetexture or appearance of cloth.
 9. The decorative flower pot cover ofclaim 8 wherein the polymeric film and the sheet of material arelaminated with a colored adhesive.
 10. The decorative flower pot coverof claim 8 wherein at least a portion of one of the upper surface of thepolymeric film and the lower surface of the sheet of material isprinted, embossed, lacquered, textured, or combinations thereof toprovide the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearanceof cloth.
 11. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 10 wherein thetexture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth isprovided by printing and embossing, and the printed and embossedpatterns are in registry with one another.
 12. The decorative flower potcover of claim 10 wherein the texture or appearance simulating thetexture or appearance of cloth is provided by printing and embossing,and the printed and embossed patterns are out of registry with oneanother.
 13. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 10 wherein thetexture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth isprovided by printing with a matted ink or lacquering with a mattedlacquer.
 14. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 10 wherein thetexture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth isprovided by printing with a foamable ink or lacquering with a foamablelacquer.
 15. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 8 wherein thepolymeric film is an expanded core polymeric film and the sheet ofmaterial laminated to the polymeric film is a substantially waterimpervious polymeric film.
 16. The decorative flower pot cover of claim1 further comprising a decorative border extending outwardly from theopen upper end of the base.
 17. The decorative flower pot cover of claim16 further comprising an upper portion attached to at least a portion ofat least one of the base and the decorative border.
 18. The decorativeflower pot cover of claim 1 wherein the lower end of the base is closed.19. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 1 wherein the lower end ofthe base is open.
 20. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 1 furthercomprising an upper portion.
 21. The decorative flower pot cover ofclaim 20 wherein the upper portion is detachable.
 22. The decorativeflower pot cover of claim 1 wherein the decorative flower pot cover isassembled in a pad.
 23. A decorative flower pot cover having a textureor appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth disposed onor visible through at least a portion thereof, the decorative flower potcover comprising: a base having a lower end, an open upper end, an outerperipheral surface, an inner peripheral surface and a retaining space,wherein the decorative flower pot cover may be substantially flattenedand then unflattened to assume the original shape of the decorativeflower pot cover, and wherein the decorative flower pot cover is formedfrom a polymeric material having an upper surface and a lower surfacewherein at least a portion of one of the upper surface and the lowersurface of the polymeric material is modified to provide such surfacewith a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance ofcloth, whereby at least a portion of at least one surface of thedecorative flower pot cover is provided with a texture or appearancesimulating the texture or appearance of cloth.
 24. The decorative flowerpot cover of claim 23 wherein the polymeric material is an expanded corepolymeric film having a thickness in the range of from about 0.6 mil toabout 10 mil.
 25. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 23 wherein atleast a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the polymericmaterial is printed, embossed, lacquered, textured, or combinationsthereof to provide the texture or appearance simulating the texture orappearance of cloth.
 26. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 25wherein the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearanceof cloth is provided by printing and embossing, and the printed andembossed patterns are in registry with one another.
 27. The decorativeflower pot cover of claim 25 wherein the texture or appearancesimulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided by printingand embossing, and the printed and embossed patterns are out of registrywith one another.
 28. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 25wherein the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearanceof cloth is provided by printing with a matted ink or lacquering with amatted lacquer.
 29. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 25 whereinthe texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of clothis provided by printing with a foamable ink or lacquering with afoamable lacquer.
 30. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 23wherein the polymeric material is further defined as a laminatedpolymeric material having an upper surface and a lower surface, thelaminated polymeric material comprising: a polymeric film having anupper surface and a lower surface; and a sheet of material having anupper surface and a lower surface wherein the lower surface of the sheetof material is laminated to the upper surface of the polymeric film; andwherein at least a portion of one of the upper surface of the polymericfilm and the lower surface of the sheet of material is modified toprovide a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance ofcloth.
 31. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 30 wherein thepolymeric film and the sheet of material are laminated with a coloredadhesive.
 32. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 30 wherein atleast a portion of one of the upper surface of the polymeric film andthe lower surface of the sheet of material is printed, embossed,lacquered, textured, or combinations thereof to provide the texture orappearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth.
 33. Thedecorative flower pot cover of claim 32 wherein the texture orappearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided byprinting and embossing, and the printed and embossed patterns are inregistry with one another.
 34. The decorative flower pot cover of claim32 wherein the texture or appearance simulating the texture orappearance of cloth is provided by printing and embossing, and theprinted and embossed patterns are out of registry with one another. 35.The decorative flower pot cover of claim 32 wherein the texture orappearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided byprinting with a matted ink or lacquering with a matted lacquer.
 36. Thedecorative flower pot cover of claim 30 wherein the texture orappearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided byprinting with a foamable ink or lacquering with a foamable lacquer. 37.The decorative flower pot cover of claim 23 wherein the polymeric filmis an expanded core polymeric film and the sheet of material laminatedto the polymeric film is a substantially water impervious polymericfilm.
 38. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 23 further comprisinga decorative border extending outwardly from the open upper end of thebase.
 39. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 38 further comprisingan upper portion attached to at least a portion of at least one of thebase and the decorative border.
 40. The decorative flower pot cover ofclaim 23 wherein the lower end of the base is closed.
 41. The decorativeflower pot cover of claim 23 wherein the lower end of the base is open.42. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 23 further comprising anupper portion.
 43. The decorative flower pot cover of claim 43 whereinthe upper portion is detachable.
 44. The decorative flower pot cover ofclaim 22 wherein the decorative flower pot cover is assembled in a pad.